Leon arrived in front of the Dungeon and descended down the stone stairs.
As he made his way down, he noticed a thin mist lingering inside—but it didn't go beyond the first floor.
'Teleport to the last room...' Leon thought with a neutral expression.
In an instant, his figure vanished from the stairwell and reappeared in the deepest chamber of the Dungeon.
"I greet my Master," Elis said with a neutral expression, imdiately bowing before him.
"Hello, Elis. Where's our guest?" Leon asked with a smile as he pulled out the candles he'd brought from ho and began placing them around the throne in the center of the room.
"Our guest is sleeping in that corner, Master," Elis replied, pointing toward the southern edge of the chamber. "I created a raised platform for her to rest on."
Leon turned his head, spotting Olga curled up on a stone bed, sleeping soundly like a child.
Before he could say anything else, Elis spoke again.
"Master... we have visitors."
"Hmm?" Leon gave her a confused look. "What visitors ?"
"Small monsters, Master. About twenty of them. They're on the first floor right now."
"Are they strong? Do you know what they are ?" Leon asked, now serious.
"They're weak... but I can't identify their species without seeing them directly. However, they've made a request to et you master, which is why they haven't advanced past the first floor." Elis spoke with a neutral expression as she looked at Leon.
'Monsters...?' Leon started thinking but he was interrupted by Elis.
"Should I crush them like I did with that human last ti, master ?" Elis added, her tone flat.
"Wait... they want to et ?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, Master." Elis replied.
Leon paused for a second, then spoke with a neutral expression. "Alright, let's go see them."
"As you command master..." Elis replied.
"And just in case... Threads." He drew his knife, binding it with an invisible mana thread.
Monts later, both Leon and Elis teleported to the first floor.
What greeted them was... unexpected.
Small, green creatures crawled across the stone floor. Their gelatinous, transparent bodies shimring under the sun rays coming down the stairs from the dungeon's entrance, each with a mana core floating in the center of their bodies.
"Wait... these are slis, aren't they?" Leon muttered, tilting his head as he activated his skill.
[Na: Unknown]
[Class: Sli]
[Race: Monster]
[Level: 1]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[Description: A small monster species considered endangered due to their low levels and slow growth. Adventurers often kill them before they can mature or reproduce.]
'Wait... Slis are endangered ?' Leon thought, still staring at the status screen.
"Prrrrr... Prrrrrr..."
Suddenly, one of the slis crawled up to Leon's feet, letting out a soft, vibrating hum.
Then, as if on cue, the rest of them followed that sli and started making the sa sound.
"Prrrrr..."
"Prrrrr..."
"Prrrrr..."
"Prrrrr..."
...
"What the fuck is wrong with them?" Leon muttered, raising an eyebrow as he watched the strange display.
"Master, they're greeting you in their own language," Elis said, standing beside him.
"You can understand them?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"Yes, Master," Elis replied simply.
"Prrrrr... Prrr... Prrrr... Prrrr..."
"I am the leader of this group of slis, Dungeon Master," Elis translated.
'They acknowledge as the dungeon master, is it because of my {Dungeon Master} Title ?' Leon thought.
"Ask him why they're here," Leon said, glancing at her.
Elis mimicked the soft sounds—"Prrr... Prrr... Prrr... Prrrr."
"Prrrrr.... Prrrr.... Prrrr.... Prrrr.... Prrrrrrr.... Prrrrrr...." The sli leader responded with a long series of hums and vibrations.
"Master," Elis began, "they say humans have hunted their kind to near extinction. They're here seeking shelter, hoping this dungeon can be their safe ho."
"Prrrrr... Prrr.... Prrrr...."
She paused. "They're afraid of you, since you're human, but they believe you're different because you are a dungeon master too. They say this place is their last hope in this whole forest."
Leon stared silently for a mont.
'Even if I killed them, the EXP would be trash... What should I do?' he thought, glancing over the slis again.
"What can they do ?" Leon asked as he looked at Elis. "Is there anything useful they can offer or to the dungeon ?"
Elis relayed the question in sli-language.
"Prrr... Prr... Prrrrr... Prrr..."
This ti, the sli leader responded with an even longer stream of "Prrrrr"s, pulsing rhythmically as the others humd along like a chorus.
"They say," Elis began, "after being hunted by humans on the outsides, they fled deep into the forest. But the monsters there were even worse, they hunted them in large groups. So they wandered for a long ti—so long, they've morized every inch of this forest."
She looked at Leon.
"They know every herb, every rare plant, and their exact locations. If you let them stay, they'll share everything they know with you master." Elis replied.
'Information is more valuable than gold. According to my mories, no adventuring party has ever fully mapped the inner forest and no human has ever been to the deep forest. These guys might actually be a good thing to keep around.' Leon thought as a smile spread across his face.
"Alright. They can live on the second floor," Leon said. "But make it clear: if even one of them leads a human or monster to this dungeon, they will be kicked out imdiately. No second chances."
Elis translated imdiately. "Prrrr... Prrr... Prrrr..... Prrrrrrrrr... Prrrr..."
The sli leader bounced slightly before responding.
"Prrrr.... Prrrr... Prrr... Prrr... Prrr...."
"Master, they say they swear to protect the secret of this dungeon with their lives," Elis relayed. "Also… since they eat dirt, they'll keep the floors clean from moss and gri."
Leon blinked. "Well, that's... helpful."
He stepped aside. "Okay. Go to the second floor."
"Prrr!" Elis chirped in sli-speak, and the slis began joyfully bouncing toward the stairway.
"I'll head out now," Leon said. "I'll be back soon with so food for Olga and materials you need to build gates and traps for the dungeon."
"In the anti, talk to them and start gathering so information."
"As you wish, Master," Elis said, bowing before vanishing into thin air.
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